Lucknow, Jan 11 (IANS): To brace up the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, a meeting of top officials held at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence to implement the Police Commissioner system in the state.
The meeting which continued till late Friday night was attended by top officials including S.P. Goyal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister; O.P. Singh, Director General of the Uttar Pradesh Police; Avnish Avasthi, Principal Secretary of Home Department.
Sources said the Police Commissioner system will be introduced first in Lucknow and Noida.
Earlier, sources in the government revealed to IANS that despite a stiff opposition from the influential IAS lobby, Chief Minister Adityanath has decided to introduce the Police Commissioner system, initially in the capital Lucknow and UP's upscale metro town NOIDA.
The Police Commissioner system gives free hand to the local police chief to act freely and swiftly, particularly in a law and order situation. In UP, the Superintendent of Police (district police chief), presently seeks permission from the District Magistrate(DM) in most of the decisions concerned with maintaining law and order. A report of the UP government revealed that one of the reasons of a deteriorating law and condition in the metro cities is the absence of the Police Commissioner system.
Earlier, then UP Governor Ram Naik has suggested implementation of the Police Commissioner system to tackle challenges on crime and law and order front. However, the IAS lobby in the state had opposed the move and the proposal initiated from Director General of Police's (DGP) desk was shelved in the Chief Minister's Secretariat.
Sources said that of late, Adityanath, who also holds the home portfolio, was convinced that like other states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and Karnatka where the Police Commissioner system is seen as an efficient model of policing, UP should also have the same system for a better and effective police.
Sources said that besides Noida and Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and other big towns could also have a Police Commissioner system under the BJP rule.